Anne Whitaker has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., and will serve on the board of directors, effective September 2. Ms. Whitaker has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having held executive roles at GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi.

Most recently, Ms. Whitaker served as president, North America Pharmaceuticals at Sanofi, where she oversaw all pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare operations within the region, including the Diabetes, Oncology, Cardiovascular and other Patient Centered Units, Chattem (CHC), U.S. Market Access, U.S. Medical and Regulatory Affairs, Business Strategy, Planning & Operations and Canada Pharmaceuticals. She also served as a member of Sanofi’s Global Leadership Team, Global Commercial Operations Committee and U.S. Regional Management Committee.

At GSK, she held various positions in the commercial organization, serving as vice president of Critical and Supportive Care, senior vice president of Leadership and Organization Development, and senior vice president and business unit head, Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Urology (CVMU).

“It is with great pleasure that the Board welcomes Anne Whitaker as Synta’s new chief executive officer,” said Keith Gollust, chairman of the board of Synta. “Anne brings a wealth of experience to Synta, gained over a distinguished career in executive roles with two of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies. Her knowledge and experience in business strategy, product development, regulatory affairs, leadership and organizational development and commercialization will be invaluable to the Company as we continue to advance ganetespib through late stage development.”